Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-01-20
FOR THE LADIES.
WOmen's Work and Their
Wages.
A TALE OF CHRYSANTHEMUMS
Clothes for Princess Beatrice's s
Baby-Brides in Washing
ton Hotels.

In common with the host OF othe
housekeepers, have marked with in.
terest the discussion going on in print and
in the pulpit of the ever.vexed question
of women's work and women's wages.
We, who are practical housewives and
likewise familiar with the charitable Ia.
Dor in parish and district, note with sad
surprise the unreadiness of philanthro-
pists of both sexs to accept the Tribune .
solution of the problem. Not the lack
of sensibility, but just Indignation, re.
presses our pity for the seamstress, who.
making shirts for two shiliings per dozen
in a trst.class attic, declines to "believe
in the God who is all on the side of the
rich people," When we read the reports
rendered hy the largs. hearted women
and men of the oppression and misery OF
ill.paid operatives, and turn wondering
ewes from "evenues of labor" crowded
to deadly suffocation, toward the clean,
safe, broad road of domestic service with
like the hymnist's path of wisdom
s.here and there traveller" The
remedy for the hideous cancer is so sim.
ple and so accessible that one might sus.
pect the method in the non.recognition
of its merits but for the character OF the
benevolent seekers after other cures.
While the rich, beloved of their
Maker, are getting richer by grinding
into bread the bodies and souls of but
tonhole workers and slop tailoresses,
lifting their eyes to the winter heaven,
are ready to curse Him and die, the de-
mand for higher wages from domestics
is honored by employers who cannot
help themselves. A "plain cook" who
deserves only scullion's name and pay,
gets board, lodging, fuel and light, a
warm room by day and warm bed by
night, and, at least So month. One
who can make good bread aud passable
puddings, twill not look, to use her
favorite phrase, al less than SIG or SIS,
while the self.rated Gordon blsu of
Milesian birth asks from SIS to S25,
and gets it. A skilled waitress is worth
as much as cook; onewho does not know
silver fork from toast rack commands
$40 q month, with no reduction for
training and breakages, and it is a motor
ious fact that it costs as much to get
clothes washed as to buy new ones.
All of these women have privileges"
to which mistresses bow meekly. A
Sunday out twice month, an afternoon
and evening of each week for shopping
and visiting, and no imposition OF duty
for which they "did not hire" are in
alienable rights. seldom disputed and
never yielded One public functicnary,
lately interviewed on this topic, says
that ''if mistresses would treat their
employees as human beings the stigma
might be lifted from the obnoxious call
ing" 1t is within the bounds of truth
to affirm that no other lower class in the
world receives at the hands of the upper
such distinguished consideration as do
American servant "girls." The hireliug
knows her own worth too well to stay
in the house one hour after she is "put
upon" or "spoke to disrespectful." She
is the freest, most independent woman
in her adopted country. Should she
decamp-with or without warning
where will the offending mistress, boy.
cotted as surely as was ever baker or
sugar.ref ler. look for q successor to the
girls" light work, heavy wages and
bounded privileges? Certainly not
among the downtrodden toilers in gar.
rets and cellars, classified by humani-
tarians, divines and newspaper reform
ers. Bettar slop shirts at 35 cents a
dozen aud mems trousers at 3 cents D
pair, better diet of musty crackers and
beer dregs; vile associates and brutal
words; better shame as the alternative
of s.arvation-than to enter the best
house in the city with the certainty of
excellent food aud rooms, good wages
and kind treatment in health and in
illness, provided these are gained at the
price of ''takiDg service. II Marion
Harland in the N. Y. Tribune.
The Boston Girl Was Too Deep.
A Boston girl came to New York.
She amused herself very well for several
days, among her other pleasures includ-
ing the beautiful display of chrysan-
themums at Cosmopolitan Hall. She
was delighted with it. The splendid
stocks of snowy and flame colored
blooms and the new Japanese seedlings,
that look as if nature had copied them
from decorations ON Japanese jars, and
the clean, fresh, curious perfumes filled
her cultured soul so tull of sentiment
that it bubbled over for the benefit of q
New York man. He came to call soon
after her return from the flower show.
He was charming young man, who
never by any accident polluted his per.
son with any article whatsoever manu-
factured in this country. lie was
turned out complete, from top to toe,
in English goods, and his gait on the
avenue filled beholders with the widest
awe and delight, it so closely copied
the true thoroughbred stride. The i'm
portant details of dress had occupied
his waking hours so closely that he had
found but little time to unbend
his mind over book, and other
matters even more important had
escaped his attention, among them
the flower show, which he hap.
pened not to have heard of.
'I've just come from seeing the chry-
santhemums," said the enthusiastic
young woman from Boston; "and oh!
it was such treat. never enjoyed
any thing so much in my life. Have you
been ye?"
"No," he drawled out loud, thinking
to himself, "What the duce is the girl
talking about, anyhow After rapid
but profound reasoning he came to the
conclusion that being Boston woman
and addicted to literature, the thing she
had been to was something partaking OF
an intellectual nature, and probably
scientific, judging from the long and un.
pronounceable name. So he remarked
lightly that really he "didn't 60 much
on that sort of thing now-it was out
in his line-too deep entirely for him. J"
The Boston girl stared. "What do
You mean? Chrysanthemums too deep?"
"Well, you KNOW" said the helpless
youth, pntting his foot deeper into his
mouth every time he opened it, "that
one has to do such an awful lot of read
ing to keep up with these scientific
things, and for my part l never enjoyed